Phytocannabinoids are a set of compounds present in Cannabis plants that, when ingested, interact with the human body to produce a physical or psychological effect. The best known phytocannabinoid is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Phytocannabinoids are becoming increasingly commonly used in medical treatments under the umbrella term of medical marijuana. This term covers the use of any phytocannabinoid in order to treat a physical or mental condition. Medical marijuana is an active and growing sector and as such there is need for a reliable and consistent source of phytocannabinoids.
Currently phytocannabinoids for use as medical marijuana are generally obtained from Cannabis sativa plants that are grown in a conventional agricultural manner. However, the growth of Cannabis sativa plants in this manner is less than ideal. The plants will always have variations in phytocannabinoid content, even if cultivated in identical conditions, due to natural genetic variations between plants. Further, variations between weather and/or soil conditions during agricultural growth of plants can lead to variation in phytocannabinoid contents of the plants.
Land use is as a problem as it takes land out of use for alternative uses, such as conventional agriculture. Land security can also be a problem as Cannabis plants are valuable to third parties for legal and non-legal uses. Agricultural Cannabis cultivation also requires large quantities of water and is a relatively inefficient process.
As an alternative to conventional agricultural growth, Cannabis plants are often grown hydroponically indoors. However, such growth is extremely energy intensive and requires large quantities of water. As the plants require artificial lighting in indoor situations it is also necessary for the ventilation and temperature control to be provided to remove excess heat produced by the lighting. Further, the issue of genetic variation remains present in hydroponically grown plants.
In light of the above there is a need for a new method of producing phytocannabinoids that is secure, reduces the resource requirements, and can provide consistent amounts of phytocannabinoids.